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Turkey forms a natural bridge between the old world continents, Europe and Asia, and also very close to Africa. The European Turkey is called Thrace and the Asian part is called Anatolia. The geography of Turkey is better understood if one examines a physical map of the world. This shows that Turkey has distinctly higher topography compared to surrounding countries, and higher elevations are mountain ranges running east west directions along both south and northern lengths. The western frontier is separated from Europe by the straits of Bosphorus and Dardanelles, followed by the Aegean, and southern frontier from Africa by the Mediterranean. Mountain ranges and the high volcanic peaks, Mt Ararat which is the highest in Europe, seem to determine ecological system of Turkey. map of Turkey

TURKEY IN BRIEF

Official Name The Republic of Turkey (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti)

Founder Mustafa Kemal ATATÜRK ( 1881-1938 )

Capital ANKARA

Population 70 million (as of 2004)

Literacy rate 2004 % 96

Language Turkish (uses Latin Alphabet)

Currency Turkish Lira ( TL )

Location Eastern Mediterranean. Located on two contitents Europe and Asia. The European part of Turkey is called Thrace, while the Asian part is called Anatolia or ( Asia Minor )

Area 814 578 Km2 (314 500 square miles)

% 3

% 97 on the European continent

on the Asian continent

Major Cities:

Istanbul 17 million

Ankara 7 "

Izmir 4 "

Adana 2 "

Konya 1 "

Bursa 1 "

Religion 99 percent of the population is Muslim. Turkey is a secular state that quarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.

National Anthem " Istiklal Marsi " ( Independence March )

Lyrics by : Mehmet Akif Ersoy

Adopted as Turkey's National Anthem on March 12,1921

Government Turkey is democratic, secular and social state governed by the rule of law; committed to the nationalism of Atatürk and based on the principle of the separation of powers;

-Legislative Power

-Executive Power

-Judicial Power

The Turkish Grand National Assembly

President and the Council of Ministers.

Independent courts and supreme

judiciary organs.

Famous Landmarks Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, Suleiman the Magnificent Mosque Dolmabahce Palace, ancient City of Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, Pamukkale, Göreme- Cappadocia, Mt.Nemrut, Safranbolu.

Some important products As of 1998, Turkey is the world's largest producer of hard-shell nuts, fig and apricot, the fourth STET in fresh vegetables, grape and tobacco production and seventh in wheat and cotton production. Turkish delight and helva are famous throughout the world.

Turkey is among the leading countries worldwide in textiles and ready-to-wear clothing production, banking, automotiv and electronic industries The leather processing industry is also very developed in Turkey, both in terms of technological level and high production capacity.

Other Useful Information

Time Local time is equal to GMT + 2 hours. Same time zone all over the country.

Electricity 220 volts a.c. throughout Turkey

Weights and Measures Metric and Kilo system.

Another significant aspect of Turkey's topography is its continental character, preserved in the ancient name of Asia Minor. This land mass is indeed a small scale continent in many respects, above all with respect to the climate of the interior. In some provinces the temperature difference over 24 hours can be as much as 20 degrees Centigrade. During the spring months it is not unusual to find weather typical of two or even three seasons at different locations around Turkey in a single day. The Mediterranean coast may be enjoying summer heat while the temperate Black Sea region gets as much as 2000 mm of precipitation in some places, there are parts of Central Anatolia with an average precipitation only one eighth of this total.

These wide variations in temperature and precipitation affect the country's flora and fauna, both in quantity and in range of species. some parts of Turkey consist of arid highlands whereas others are thickly forested, and differences such as these play a crucial role in the distribution of wildlife around the country.

The fact that Anatolia is surrounded on there sides by sea, its situation in the temperate climatic zone, its geological and geomorphic structure, and topography are all contributing factors. The four seas around Turkey each reflect a different ecological character. Salinity is 18 per thousand in the Black Sea, 23 per thousand in the Marmara Sea, 32 per thousand in the Aegean and 38 per thousand in the Mediterranean. There is no other country in the world with such a wide variation of salinity levels along its shores, and the variations in ecological structure of these seas affects the life forms which inhabit them, from phyto planktons and seaweeds to fish and marine mammals such as dolphins.